Ronin
Lore The Ronin is an outcast. He or she is a Samurai who, for whatever the reason, has lost his/her honor. He/she could have been accused or convicted of a crime. The Ronin could have behaved improperly during a duel, or lost a duel to a far inferior opponent. The Ronin could have accrued a debt, disobeyed his/her lord, or a host of other things. No matter what, the reason, however, once a Samurai is forced to renounce their Samurai pledge, they become anathema. Ronin wander from place to place, looking to fit in. However, their status as a Ronin always catches up to them eventually, causing them to leave before they dishonor others, or before they are chased away. While some Ronin make due with this type of life, most depart for points east, where their status as ‘honorless’ does not matter. As they wander from place to place, they pick up bits and pieces of information, and skills. Ronin are much more well rounded than their honor-bound Samurai counterparts because of this. While a Samurai only thinks of the most straightforward solution to a problem, the Ronin thinks outside the box, so to speak. All Ronin were at once point Samurai. Some Ronin wander to gain their honor once more, so that they can be Samurai once more. Other Ronin do not desire to regain their honor, and simply travel for the sake and necessity of it. Requirements Class: Ex-Samurai Base Attack Bonus: +4 Special: Must violate any one of the tenets of his/her Samurai order; must bring great shame/dishonor to his/her superior(s); Must renounce their Samurai pledges; Must be exiled by his/her superior(s); Must be the last surviving member of a Samurai order Class Features The Ronin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (CHA), Climb (STR), Craft (INT), Diplomacy (CHA), Disguise (CHA), Intimidate (CHA), Jump (STR), Knowledge History (INT), Knowledge and Royalty (INT), Perform (CHA), Profession (WIS), Ride (DEX), Sense Motive (WIS), and Swim (STR) Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + INT Bonus Hit Die: d10 Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Ronin gains no proficiency with any weapons or armors. Dishonor (Ex): A Ronin is inherently dishonored. This infamy- deserved or not- follows the Ronin everywhere he/she goes. Those who associate with a Ronin are also considered to have their honor tainted. As a result, the Ronin gets a –4 penalty to all Charisma-based skill checks with all residents of the Shou Empire who put an emphasis on their honor and are aware that the character is a Ronin. Wanderer (Ex): A Ronin wanders from place to place, putting their skills to work. They never stay in one place for very long, as inevitably, they are chased away. As a result, a Ronin gains a +1 bonus to all Knowledge checks. Awaken Blade (Su): The Ronin may awaken the ancestral spirits in his/her ancestral weapons for a limited time. When a Samurai is dishonored, and becomes a Ronin, the special abilities in his/her ancestral weapons no longer function. As a supernatural action, a Ronin can forcibly awaken the spirits within his/her blade, by making a successful Concentration check. The DC of this roll is 15 + his/her total Samurai levels – his/her total Ronin levels. If the Ronin fails this check, there is no change in his/her weapons. If the Ronin succeeds this check, the spirits are awakened in his/her ancestral weapons for a number of rounds equal to his/her total Ronin levels. After this amount of time passes, the weapons return to their dormant state. The ancestral weapons regain any bonuses they had while the character was a Samurai. Ex-Ronin In certain cases, a Ronin is given the opportunity to regain their honor. If they do, and become Samurai once more, the Dishonor ability no longer affects them. They retain all other knowledge, however. If Ronin multiclass in other classes, they retain all knowledge and abilities.